Wakefield Trinity mourn death of former Super League coach of the year Shane McNally

The Queensland Rugby League website reported McNally died on holiday in Canada, aged 69.

The Australian arrived at Trinity in November, 2001, as assistant to coach Peter Roe. He took charge of the team – initially as caretaker boss and then football manager/joint-coach with Adrian Vowles – midway through the 2002 season, after Roe was sacked.

Wakefield were bottom of Super League and had won just one of their previous 12 matches when McNally moved into the hot seat.

He picked up a draw and win in his first two games at the helm, and though Trinity managed just one point from their next seven fixtures, a 50-10 thrashing of Warrington Wolves in the final round secured 11th place and kept them in the top flight.

Trinity finished in a similar position the following year, but rose to sixth in 2004 – when McNally was in sole charge – and won at Hull in an elimination play-off before an 18-14 defeat at Wigan Warriors.

That earned McNally Super League’s coach of the year award, but was sacked the following June. Wakefield had won 34 of his 92 games as boss.

Earlier in his career, he won a Brisbane Premiership as a player with Easts and starred for Queensland on their 1983 tour to England, which included a 58-2 win over Leeds at Headingley.

He coached Easts in the Brisbane competition and Queensland Cup outfit Wynnum Manly either side of his time at Wakefield and also worked as a development officer in the state and manager of Rugby League Brisbane.

A Trinity statement said: “Everyone at the club is deeply saddened at the tragic news of the passing of Shane McNally, one of our most successful coaches and a great friend to the club.”